THE PEBBLE CREEK FIGHT

In 1872-73 white settlers were moving into the North Loup Valley.
Their presence sparked occasional conflicts with Lakota Sioux
wandering down from the north to hunt or raid the Pawnee Reservation
near Genoa. On January 18, 1874, Sioux passing through this area
with stolen Pawnee horses purportedly took food, furs, and a cow
from the homes of settlers and trappers, including the Colby and
McClimans families.

Early the next morning about a dozen men led by Charles ("Buckskin
Charley") White went in pursuit, determined to recover the
property or fight the Indians. The men found the Lakota camped
on Pebble Creek. During a parley, the Indians refused to surrender
anything of value and prepared to resist the whites, who fled
to the shelter of the stream bank. In the half-hour fight that
followed, Marion Littlefield was shot and killed. Indian casualties
were estimated as three dead and several wounded.

The settlers feared further confrontations and petitioned Congress
for military protection. After receiving an appropriation, the
army established Fort Hartsuff in the North Loup Valley on September
5, 1874.

Garfield County Historical Society
Nebraska State Historical Society
Two miles east of Burwell on Nebraska 91
Garfield County
Marker 373